Summer's Coming
by darkclocks
Summary: Olivia Benson comes across an old friend who's made a big change in her life. What will it mean for Olivia and Noah?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Enjoy and thanks for reading! I'm looking at around 10 chapters for this. Nothing too drawn out but a bit more of a story than a one-shot.  
_

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**SUMMER'S COMING - CHAPTER 1**

"Noah, hurry up. We're going to be late for school."

Olivia reminded herself that it wasn't really Noah's fault if they were late. She's the one who overslept and woke him up late. Getting home at 3 a.m. will do that sometimes. Normally, Lucy would take him on a morning like this, but she was going away for the weekend. Olivia felt bad enough she had to stay with him half the night.

"I'm ready, Mom," Noah said, hurrying toward the kitchen while struggling to put his backpack on.

Olivia took a moment to make sure he had everything while folding the collar down on his shirt. She kissed him on the forehead and Noah squirmed and turned his face away.

"Ok, ok, I know," Olivia teased. "Let's get going. You can't be late during your last week of school this year."

Traffic on the way to school, fortunately, wasn't terrible. It was always bad, but it could have been worse for a Friday morning. Noah spent much of the ride telling Olivia all of the things he wanted the two of them to do together during his school break. He also told her about a summer camp he wanted to attend, which gave Olivia pause since it was five days away from home. Noah had never been away from her for that long.

"So, can I?" Noah asked before getting out of the car.

"I'll talk to your teacher about it when I pick you up this afternoon," she said. "And we can talk more about it this weekend."

"Pleeeease, Mom?" Noah begged again. "My friend Mateo is going, and I want to go with him."

"Noah, I said we'd talk about it," Olivia said. "I'm not saying no. I just want to know more about it before I agree. Ok?"

"Ok, Mom," Noah said. "Bye."

Before Olivia could say anything else, Noah had hopped out of the car and ran along toward the entrance where the security guard was ushering kids inside who were also running late.

"Bye. I love you," she yelled out, knowing it fell on deaf ears.

#

"Sorry I'm late," Olivia said, strolling into the squad room after everyone was already hard at work. "Noah and I woke up late this morning."

"You're the boss, Liv," Fin said. "You get to be late. Besides, I'm surprised to see you this early since you were out so late."

Olivia shrugged. "I'm trying to get as much paperwork done as possible for this upcoming case for our temp ADA because I promised Noah we'd spend the weekend together."

"When's Carisi gonna start?"

"Soon, I hope," Olivia said, heading toward her office. Fin followed her. "He's got a bit more ADA training and orientation to go through. I've encouraged the DA's office to fast-track him as soon as possible since he already knows the ropes of SVU."

"That'll be a nice change. Someone who knows what the hell they're doing."

Olivia rolled her eyes. Stoned tried hard enough, but he never quite "got it," and she was tired of training new ADAs. It had been six months, and even though Carisi put in immediately, and it was promised to him, it seemed like the DA's office was taking their sweet him getting him over there permanently.

"Speaking of people knowing what they're doing..." Olivia paused and looked out her office window. "Now are the newbies working out?"

SVU had recently hired two new detectives - one to replace Carisi and one to replace Dodds. Technically Fin replaced Dodds as Sergeant, but they were still short a body and had been for a while. She finally convinced 1PP to get them back up to normal levels, even if she could use a handful more detectives.

Fin nodded his head affirmatively. "They're doing pretty good, Liv. And I'll be honest; it's nice to have a little more color in this room."

Olivia laughed. When she was given hiring approval, she specifically sought qualified detectives that reflected the diversity of the community. She'd hired an African-American female detective, Taylor, from the Queens SVU unit and a Hispanic male detective who came from Narcotics, Antonio, or Tony for short. He reminded Olivia a little of Nick Amaro.

"Well, you know as well as I do that diversity is important. I'm just glad we were finally able to hire and get some fresh blood in here," she said.

"Anyway, they're both pretty good," Fin said. "Taylor, she's real smart. She may be quiet, but don't sleep on her. And Tony, he's a little rough around the edges, but that comes from working Narc. But he's got a good head. Heard he was bound for Homicide. Wonder who he pissed off to end up here?"

"Actually, I'm told he asked to come to SVU," Olivia said. "He initially wanted Homicide, and they were ready to send him, but he changed his mind. I'm sure there is a story behind it. Most people don't ask for SVU."

"You did."

"And there was a story behind it, wasn't there?" Olivia said grinning. "At any rate, keep an eye on them and make sure they know if they need anything..."

"Understood, Liv," Fin said. "I'm about to take them out to interview some witnesses right now. Introduce them to a few people while I'm at it."

Olivia gave him a suspicious look.

"Don't worry, we're just gonna meet up with Munch for lunch," Fin said.

Olivia laughed. "Now, I **am** worried!"

The two laughed for a moment longer and then Fin turned to leave. Olivia called out after him.

"Give Munch my love. And tell him not to be a stranger," she said. Fin nodded and carried on to get the rookies and head out.

#

"So, what's it going to be? French toast or pancakes?" Olivia asked Noah as they sat across from each other in a new breakfast dinner near Central Park. It was a later start to the day than she planned, so the brunch crew was out in full force. The pair was lucky to get a table when they did.

"What about if I get pancakes and you get french toast, and I can have some of yours?" Noah said, grinning ear to ear when Olivia laughed at him.

"Ok, but only if you promise to share some of your pancakes."

"I'll think about it," he laughed.

Olivia laughed and shook her head, sitting her menu down since Noah's plan was clearly working. She reached for her coffee cup and took a sip while Noah colored on his kids' menu.

"Can I refill your coffee?" the server asked Olivia as she nodded and pushed her cup toward the server. "I'll be right back to take your order. I'm sorry we've been so busy this morning, and the kitchen is running a little behind."

"It's totally fine. I understand," Olivia said. "We're in no hurry."

"Thank you," the relieved server said, giving them a soft smile before running off to refill coffee at another table.

"I looked into this camp you mentioned, and it actually looks fun," Olivia told Noah. She has spent part of Friday researching the safety of the camp and asking around about it. The thought of being without Noah for nearly a week made her anxious given everything with Sheila.

"Does that mean I can go?" Noah said, wide-eyed and hopeful.

Olivia hesitated to commit, but she knew her answer already.

"Yes, you can go," she said. "But I'd also like to meet Mateo and his parents if he's still going. I'd feel better knowing someone else that's going."

"He just has a mom, like me," Noah said, not looking up from his drawing. "I think you know her."

"Really? Who is she?" Olivia said. "What's Mateo's last name?

"Uh, Sanchez, I think?" Noah said, looking up and scrunching his face to think. "But I saw his mom one day and she looks like one of the girls in your old photo album. The one of your old work friends."

Olivia scrunched her face much as Noah had. She couldn't think of anyone with the last name Sanchez that would have been in her old photos, of course, that didn't mean much. She still couldn't think of anyone that had kids Noah's age that she knew.

"Hmm," she said, thinking Mateo's mom probably just looked like someone she knew. She doubted Noah remembered exactly what the people in her photos looked like anyway. "Well, either way, I'll email your teacher and see if she can put me in touch with Mateo's mom. Maybe schedule a playdate?"

Noah rolled his eyes. "I'm not a baby."

"I know that. We'll call it...what? Hanging out? I'm not sure what you kids call it now," she said. Noah was growing up so much, a little too much for her liking. "Anyway, maybe you can Mateo can go see a movie or something this summer, or we'll have them over for pizza. Whatever it is you kids do."

"Can he come over and play video games?" Noah asked. She had his full attention now.

"Let me just get in touch with his mom and we'll go from there, how about that?" Olivia said.

Noah nodded and the server returned to take their order.

"Ok, I'm finally ready. I appreciate your patience," she said. "What can I get you to eat?"

"Hey, it's Mateo!" Noah said, excitedly looking toward the door.

Olivia and the server both turned to see who Noah was looking at. She saw a boy about Noah's age near the door standing next to a woman with long blonde hair who had her back turned to them and on the phone. They were in a long line waiting for a table.

"Friends of yours?" the server asked.

"I...I guess that's Noah's friend from school," Olivia said.

"If you want, I can seat them at your table with you, and pulled up a couple more chairs," the server said. "It's so busy; they'll be waiting forever otherwise."

"Yes," Noah said.

"Well, wait," Olivia said, reaching her hand out to Noah. "Let's see if they even want to sit with us. They may have other plans, Noah."

"I'll tell you what, let me go ask them," the server said.

"Can I go too?" Noah asked. The server looked at Olivia.

"I guess so," she said, shrugging her shoulders trying to figure out what was happening. "But remember, his mom may have other ideas and not want to sit with strangers."

"Okay," Noah said, getting up and quickly leaving the table. The server laughed and gave Olivia a nod that she'd figure it out for her. She followed behind Noah.

Olivia watched as Noah talked to Mateo and pointed to their table. The server got the attention of Mateo's mom, who hung up her call and gave the server a confused look. She looked down at Mateo then looked over and saw Noah. Her eyes lit up for a moment, like she recognized him, and she snapped her head up. She made making eye contact with Olivia, who was surprised to see Alex Cabot standing there with the boys.

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_As always, your reviews are appreciated. Love it, hate it, have ideas? Let me know with a comment or on twitter -rileyclox!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Glad you all are enjoying. Thanks for the nice comments you've left.  
_

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**SUMMER'S COMING - CHAPTER 2**

Noah returned to the table with Mateo and Alex, the boys sitting next to each other and Alex scooting in next to Olivia. Since the line had been so long, Alex and Mateo already knew what they were ordering, so the server took their orders and brought a cup of coffee out for Alex.

"This is a ... surprise," Olivia said once they were all settled.

"I told you she was one of the girls from your photos, Mom," Noah said then went back to talking to Mateo.

Alex gave Olivia a confused look, so Olivia explained.

"He was telling me about this camp he wanted to go to and that his friend Mateo was going," Olivia said. "He said that Mateo's 'Mom' was someone from one of my photos. To be honest, I thought he was confused. I guess it was me."

"Ah, yes, I'm sure," Alex said. "It's...a long story."

"You don't have to explain if you don't want to," Olivia said, not sure Alex wanted to talk about whatever brought Mateo into her life.

"You remember the 'work' I was doing the last time I saw you?" Alex asked.

"Oh, very vividly," Olivia said.

Alex kind of nodded down to Mateo. Olivia still wasn't exactly clear but knew this wasn't the time or place for that discussion. There were still certain things she didn't talk about with Noah regarding his birth mother.

#

The four of them walked to Central Park so the boys could play on the playground, giving Olivia and Alex a chance to catch up.

"So...Mateo?" Olivia finally asked once they found a comfortable spot on a bench where they could still watch the boys. She looked over at Alex who still looked the same, except she'd never seen her so relaxed.

"Yes, Mateo," Alex said. "So, obviously, I'm not his mother, or well, not technically yet."

"Adoption?" Olivia asked.

"Foster right now," Alex explained. "So, after Jules Hunter, I really had to re-evaluate what I was doing and if it was really in the best interest of these women. I kept with it for a while, thinking there was no way I could give it up, but then...I don't know, every time we had a new woman to come to us in a dire situation, there was this fear that something similar would happen.

"To be honest, Liv, being back in the court, you asking me if I missed it, really made me think hard about it, the things you said about justice and going about things the right way. I was just...disenfranchised I guess. Tire of the same old story and cycle of violence."

"I understand that feeling," Olivia said.

"Anyway, shortly after Jules, I met Eva, Mateo's mother," Alex continued. "And we were able to successfully get custody and have her husband prosecuted...the legal way. I helped her get re-established in a different part of the city and fortunately, her husband, even though normally he wouldn't be locked up that long, had a long history and was wanted out of state. So, he was extradited and will be gone away for a long time. But still, we set up a lot of safety precautions for Eva and Mateo. Her mother still lives in Puerto Rico, so really the only support system she had here aside from some work friends was her husband."

"Ok, so, why the foster care?"

Alex sighed. Olivia could see she was holding back some tears.

"Last summer, she was diagnosed with a very rare form of aggressive leukemia. She had insurance and I even offered to make sure she had the best treatment in the world, but one of the best is right here in the city and basically said, at this stage, there wasn't much that could be done."

"That's terrible," Olivia said. "After all that."

"I know," Alex said. "She fought so hard to get away from that bastard and then cancer gets her." Alex paused and sighed again, regaining her composure.

"Before she died, she asked if I would take Mateo and raise him," Alex said. "Her mother is pretty elderly and Eva wanted Mateo to have the opportunity of growing up in the states, to continue down his path. He's very smart and she was just worried about his struggles back in Puerto Rico, her mother trying to raise him at her age, what would happen to him after she was gone, or well, facing the foster care system here. And her husband, his parents have been dead for a long time."

"Wow," Olivia said.

"What could I say?" Alex said. "They had become like family to me. Once Eva got sick, I had them move into my condo so I could help take care of them both. It just seemed like the thing to do, taking Mateo."

"That must have been hard on him, losing both parents," Olivia said. "Even if his dad sounds terrible."

"Oh, it was. He told me he missed his dad sometimes but was glad he was gone. He knows the kind of person his father his. He said he missed when his dad was "nice" to them, which was rare. And he's struggled with his mom being gone. Counseling helps, and he's come a long way this year, but he's just starting to make friends, finally. He's been talking about Noah for weeks and I had no idea until today that it was your Noah. The thought never even crossed my path."

"That's incredible, Alex," Olivia said. "And great of you to take him in. How long has been with you?"

"Eight months since his mother passed away," Alex said. "They were with me almost two months before that, too."

"I had no idea," Olivia said.

"I've kept it pretty private," Alex said. "Mostly for Mateo, to keep things normal for him. I'm back actively practicing law now that, mostly representing women like Eva and Jules. I know eventually I'll probably be back in public life, but until then...I want to give him a chance to adjust, you know?"

"That makes sense," Olivia said. "Well, I'm just glad Noah has found a friend. He's very excited about this summer camp. I told him he could go, but just this morning said I'd like to meet Mateo's mom so I at least knew someone else sending their child. Little did I know."

"It's a great camp, Liv," Alex said. "I went there as a child and you know me, I had it checked out to make sure it's still run at a high standard. Well, now, probably higher standards than when I was young. But it's good. One of the best, I'd say."

"That's encouraging," Olivia said. "It will be the longest Noah will have been away from me."

"Same for Mateo, though I guess it's different since you've had Noah since he was a baby," Alex said.

Olivia and Alex caught up on life, SVU, and courtroom gossip including Stone's departure and the plan for Carisi to become the new ADA. After a while, Noah and Mateo returned with a request.

"Can I spend the night with Mateo, Mom?" Noah said, pleading. "He has the new Pokemon game and said I could come play."

"Ah...," Liv paused and looked at Alex who laughed.

"It's alright with me, Liv," Alex said. "I was just going to order pizza for us tonight anyway. The more the merrier."

Olivia sighed. She didn't like being put on the spot, nor putting anyone else on the spot, but she was used to it with Noah. It's what kids do, she thought.

"Since it's ok with Alex, that's fine with me," Olivia said. "But I'll need to go home and get you some clothes."

"Yay!" Noah and Mateo chanted.

"You know, unless you have other plans, you're welcome to join us," Alex said. "I can make a salad to go with the pizza and we could find something on Netflix, I'm sure."

"As long as it's not a true crime story, I'm in," Olivia said. "I've about binged myself to death on those."

"Oh my gosh, same," Alex said. "I was thinking more like old school Rom-Com and some wine."

"I'm in," Olivia said. "I mean, I won't spend the night, but dinner and a movie sound great."

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_As always, your reviews are appreciated. Love it, hate it, have ideas? Let me know with a comment or on twitter -rileyclox!_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thanks for reading and glad you all are enjoying it. Slow and easy here, with a little flirting coming up.  
_

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**SUMMER'S COMING - CHAPTER 3**

For the past several weeks, Noah and Mateo had been inseparable - as had Olivia and Alex. For Olivia, it was nice to have another person that she knew and trusted to depend upon, aside from Lucy or Amanda. Alex had shared similar sentiments with her, and said she appreciated Olivia's advise at new parenting. It struck Olivia as funny because some days, she felt she was still getting the hang of it herself.

The final night before the boys headed off to camp was like many other weekend nights for the past few weeks - the boys were playing, and Olivia and Alex were binge-watching something in the background while talking about their week and challenges they faced.

"How's Carisi doing in his new role?" Alex asked.

"He just officially started, and I mean, it's a little weird, but he's adjusting well," Olivia said. "I think he's struggling not to try to be the detective anymore, though."

"I can understand," Alex said, sipping a glass of white wine and sinking into Olivia's couch. "Moving from one job to another, but still in the same realm is tough. I know."

"I never thought I'd see the day where you were a defense attorney," Olivia chuckled.

"Don't say it like that," Alex scoffed while laughing. "At least I'm not like Buchanan. Not everyone arrested is a criminal, and my job is just to seek justice."

"I get it," Olivia said. "And I agree. I'm just thinking of all those times you made me arrest someone who didn't really deserve it." She was teasing Alex and got rewarded with a couch pillow to the abdomen.

"Your new detectives seem good, though, right?" Alex said.

"Yes, we're really lucky. I'm grateful they are a bit more educated and progressive than I was when I started SVU. I mean, I understood the importance of it, but I think as a whole, society and law enforcement does a better job today than 20 years ago at getting people with the right fit and understanding police work and social work go hand in hand."

"Amen."

The two women sipped wine and watched TV, enjoying the comfort with each other. For Olivia, it had been a long time since she felt so relaxed. Having Alex and Mateo in their lives meant she didn't have to suffer through one of Noah's playdates while making small-talk with one of the other moms who mostly only wanted to gossip about the other moms. Or worse, one of the dads that kept trying to schedule more playdates as a ruse to spend time with her. It was also nice to have someone else to know she could depend on other than Lucy and her detectives, which usually meant Amanda. She knew they didn't mind, and she'd helped Amanda out with her kids, too, but this was different.

"Can I spend the night with Noah?"

The two women were startled out of their thoughts by two puppy dog eyed boys that came running out from Noah's room.

"Mateo, you boys are going to be spending the whole week together in a cabin. Don't you think we should go home tonight?" Alex said.

"Pleaseeeee," Mateo and Noah begged, also looking to Olivia to help.

"I... don't mind," Olivia said. The boys began to cheer. "But, it's up to Alex. She may have things to do tonight to get Mateo ready, Noah."

"I'm already packed!" Mateo said.

Alex shrugged. "It's true. I made him pack last night, actually. His luggage is already in the car."

The boys continued with the pleading eyes, hands folded in front of Alex as if to beg her.

She sighed. "Fine, I guess. But I'll need to go home and get your toothbrush and pillow."

"We have extra if you want to save yourself a trip," Olivia offered.

"Yay!" the boys shouted, running back to Noah's room before the details could even be worked out.

"Are you sure you don't mind, Liv?" Alex said. "I feel bad leaving him here."

"Not at all. I took the day off to take him up tomorrow, so one extra body isn't a big deal."

"I was planning the same for Mateo," Alex said. "Mind if I join you all? I think I'm having a bit of separation anxiety. Clearly more than he is having."

"Of course," Olivia said. "In fact, you're more than welcome to stay here tonight as well and save yourself a trip. I mean, if you wanted to."

"Oh, I, uh, I don't want to impose."

"Alex, it's never an imposition," Olivia said. "It's not like it's the first time we've crashed at each other's apartment. Besides, if the boys get to have a sleepover, why shouldn't we?" Olivia laughed.

"Well, when you put it like that, how could I say no," Alex teased. "But if my bra and panties end up in the freezer..."

Olivia nearly spit her wine out at the thought. Alex laughed.

"I think your bra and panties will be safe," Olivia said. "At any rate, let me go find you something comfortable to sleep in."

Olivia ran into the boys in the hall and told them that Alex would also be staying over. The boys were still excited about their whole sleepover night that it barely phased them

"Do that mean we all get to ride to camp together tomorrow?" Noah asked.

"It does," Olivia said. Alex joined them in the hallway and Olivia handed her an old gray NYPD t-shirt and cotton shorts.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Mateo asked Alex.

"Oh, I'll just sleep on the couch," she said.

"Mommy has a big bed, don't you, mom?" Noah said. "I bet it could fit three whole people."

Olivia laughed and turned to Alex to explain. "I just got a new bed. It's just a Queen but feels a lot bigger than the full-size one I had forever. To be honest, I miss the extra space in my bedroom."

"I know that feeling. New York City apartments," Alex said.

"Say the woman that could fit three of my apartments inside hers," Olivia joked.

"Hey, I'll have you know, when I first lived here, I had the tiniest of apartments for a long time," Alex said.

"Oh yes, I remember that matchbox," Olivia said. "I remember Elliot kept bumping into walls the first time we came over."

"You knew each other then?" Mateo asked.

"We did," Alex said. "I've known Olivia, what, 20 years now almost."

"I saw photos of them from forever ago. I think like the 70s," Noah told Mateo.

"Hey, we're not **that **old!" Olivia contested.

The boys got bored with the trip down memory lane and went back to Noah's room to get ready for bed. Olivia got towels together for Alex and Mateo and sat them on the coffee table next to where Alex was sitting.

"You know, Noah is right," she said slowly. "There's no need for either of us to sleep on the couch. I have plenty of room in the bed. And it's not like we haven't shared a bed before."

Over the years, they had shared a bed on a handful of occasions - platonically - even if there were periods where Olivia thought their friendship might be more than that.

"That depends? Do you still kick in your sleep?" Alex teased. She remembered when she came to NYC for court while she was in Witness Protection that she had a nice bruise on her leg the next morning from Olivia's thrashing.

"No one has complained recently," Olivia said, smiling.

"Oh, you have people in your bed often?" Alex teased.

"It's been a while...that's why I said recently," Olivia laughed. "But I promise to keep my feet and hands to myself. Or at least try."

Olivia blushed when she said it, not meaning it to sound as flirty as it did. She was pretty sure she saw Alex blush, too, at least until she saw a smile across the blonde's face.

"Well, I'm not making any promises," Alex smirked.

* * *

_As always, your reviews are appreciated. Love it, hate it, have ideas? Let me know with a comment or on twitter -rileyclox!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I promised Kaggie a birthday chapter. It's late, but I got it out. After this, we'll start to move along a bit more with come cracks showing.  
_

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**SUMMER'S COMING - CHAPTER 4**

Noah had been gone for three days and as much as Olivia missed him, she had to admit, it was nice to have a little freedom. No chaotic mornings getting everything ready or a drop off line for school or day camp. No demands of chicken nuggets for dinner. No video games blaring in the background. Noah seemed to be having fun, too. He called the previous night as planned and couldn't stop talking about all the things he was going. Maybe summer camp wasn't such a bad idea after all - for either of them.

Deep in thought about what she might cook for dinner - something healthy - Olivia's cell phone rang, startling her. It was Alex.

"Hey," Olivia said when she answered.

"Hey, how are you? Surviving without Noah?" Alex asked.

"You know...it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be," Olivia said.

"I feel pretty much the same, though I have to admit, it's a little quiet around home," Alex said.

"That's one of the perks for me!" Olivia laughed.

Alex hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"I was wondering, since we're kid-free this week, if you wanted to do something. Though, I guess, you said you're enjoying your quiet time, so you probably don't want -"

"I'd love to," Olivia said, interrupting Alex.

"I didn't even tell you what it was," Alex said.

"Doesn't matter," Olivia said. "It'd be nice to get out of the house and not worry about getting home in time for the sitter."

"Well, I was just thinking burgers and beers at that old pub we use to go to," Alex said.

"And here I was planning on eating healthy this week," Olivia laughed.

"We can go somewhere else," Alex said.

"No, I like it," Olivia said. "I haven't been there in a while and to be honest, it sounds perfect. Meet you at 7? I want to go to the gym for a bit after work."

"See you there."

#

The pub was busy for a mid-week, but when Olivia arrived, she saw Alex sitting at a table near the center snacking on chips and salsa. She couldn't remember the last time she was here, but she had spent many a nights here with Elliot and Alex decompressing after especially tough cases - sometimes a little too much decompressing. It had good memories for her, which she expected is why Alex picked it. Even though they'd spent time together since those days, the recent jog down memory lane with the boys must have made it fresh in Alex's mind.

"Sorry I'm running a few minutes late," Olivia said. "I didn't even make it to the gym. I stopped at the bank and then Rollins called, and well, let's just say I'm glad I got out of work when I did."

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah, she handled it," Olivia said. "The spouse of a suspect came into the squad room and made a scene, I guess. She was just briefing me on what happened so I wasn't surprised tomorrow when the defense attorney complains."

"Those defense attorneys," Alex laughed.

"They're the worst," Olivia teased.

After ordering, they talked about the phone calls with the boys the night before. Mateo seemed to be having as much fun as Noah and they were excited they got to share a bunk in the cabin. Alex had also relished in the less chaotic mornings and evenings even if the separation anxiety seemed to be a little worse for her.

"It was so busy Monday morning, getting everyone ready to go, I forgot to ask how your legs fared from sharing the bed with me," Olivia asked. "I hope I didn't kick too much."

"No bruises this time, but I'd be lying if I said you didn't kick...still," Alex said.

"She is a kicker in bed, isn't she?"

A man's voice from behind startled them, but Olivia immediately recognized it.

"Brian, what are you doing here?" Olivia said.

"You know, same as always," he said. "The question is what are you doing here? I never see you here. Get a sitter tonight?"

"Noah is at camp," Olivia said.

"Ah, I see," he said, glancing over at Alex who looked annoyed he was interrupting their conversation.

"You remember Alex, right?" Olivia said.

Brian nodded. "Cabot."

Alex nodded in return and lifted her glass to acknowledge him.

"So, what's this about you kicking Alex in bed? I mean, I always suspected you two might've had a thing for each other back in the day..."

"It's...not like that," Olivia said. "The boys had a sleepover before camp, so Alex stayed. Not that it's really any of your business."

"The boys?"

Olivia looked at Alex to explain.

"I've had a bit of change in my life," Alex said, not really explaining more than that.

"That's...great," Brian said, still confused as to what that meant. "Congratulations. Do you care if I join?"

Olivia scooted her chair over to make room.

"How have you been?" she asked in a slow, intentional voice that she knew Brian would understand. How was he dealing with coming to terms with his abuse?

"I'm...making it," he said. Olivia noticed he shifted uncomfortably and looked to see if Alex knew what they were talking about. She didn't. He quickly changed the subject. "Too bad about Stone, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess," Olivia said. "But we're used to ADAs coming and going. Carisi should do a good job."

Brian continued talking about his work, but Olivia noticed the more he talked, the quieter Alex got. She realized Alex's idea of a night out without kids probably didn't include Brian Cassidy. Brian seemed to notice Olivia's uncomfortableness and quickly excused himself.

"I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time," he said. "I'll let you ladies get back to your night out. Cabot, good to see you."

"You too," she said.

"Liv, as usual, it's good to see you," he said. She got up to give him a tight hug.

"Please, if you need anything...to talk..." she whispered.

Brian nodded. "I know," he said before leaving.

"I'm sorry about that," Olivia said.

"No, it's fine, Liv," Alex said quickly. "We're at cop bar. We're probably going to run into cops we know."

"It's just...things with Brian are...complicated," Olivia said, referring to his disclosure about the abuse.

Alex nodded. "It's fine."

Olivia could tell she wasn't really fine.

#

The following day, Olivia called to check on Alex and invite her over for dinner. At least at her apartment they wouldn't be intruded upon by Brian or anyone else. Besides, it was their last night of freedom from the boys. She cooked up some salmon and made a salad and the two of them ate in the living room while Friends reruns played in the background.

"You know, it's funny how life works out," Olivia thought. "Who would have thought all those years ago, heck, even just a few years ago, that we'd have kids the same age who became friends randomly and are off at summer camp together."

"I know, it is funny," Alex said. "I'm really glad Mateo and Noah became friends though. Noah has been good for Mateo's spirits...and selfishly, I'm glad we've been able to re-connect without you threatening to arrest me."

The two women laughed.

"Me, too," Olivia said. "On both parts. I also meant to say, I'm sorry about Brian last night. Obviously I didn't know he'd be there."

"I know. You didn't even pick the place, Liv," Alex said. "Really, it's fine. It was good to see him doing well."

"Yeah, I think he is doing ok," Olivia said. "Like I said, things with Brian are just..."

"Liv, I promise, you don't have to explain your relationship with Brian to me," Alex said. "I mean, I've never been his biggest fan, but he's important to you."

"Yes," Olivia laughed. "You made that abundantly clear when he and I dated a few years ago."

"We're friends, Liv," Alex said. "I'm gonna worry about what's best for you. But, it seems like even if it didn't work out then, it wasn't a bad thing. And perhaps I was wrong about him."

"Well, anyway, I just wanted to explain. He's been through...some stuff lately," Olivia said.

"And you're a good friend. I get it," Alex said. "It was kinda funny, the comment he made though. You know, about us back in the day."

"Yeah...that was...funny," Olivia said. _Was it funny? Or was it true? _Olivia couldn't tell what Alex was thinking. "More wine?"

"If I have more wine Liv, I won't be able to find my way home," Alex said.

"Well, we are going up in the morning to pick up the boys, so..."

"Are you trying to get me into bed again?" Alex teased.

"You can have Noah's bed if you like," Olivia said, blushing at Alex's suggestion and not wanting to imply something she wasn't sure either was ready for.

"And miss out on a night of you kicking me? Never," Alex said. "Sure, I'll have another glass of wine, but we may need a few extra pillows at the foot of the bed tonight."

* * *

_As always, your reviews are appreciated. Love it, hate it, have ideas? Let me know with a comment or on twitter -rileyclox!_


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